Paloma Contreras
photo by Aimee Mazzenga
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? I’d love to have an apartment in Paris. It’s a dream of mine to eventually have a place there in the 7th arrondissement.
What are three words to describe your style? 1. Timeless 2. Fresh 3. Glamorous
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? I am a child of the 80s, so I had twin beds in my room with white wicker headboards, pink cabbage rose bedding by Laura Ashley, an antique octagonal mahogany table between the beds, and a pink ceramic lamp that I can still envision. What can I say? I’ve always loved pink!
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? I have always believed in investing in the best upholstery you can afford, but I’d say I’ve gotten more serious about the things I bring into my home over the past several years when I started purchasing antiques. I can honestly say that my home is filled with things I genuinely love. I have a beautiful 19th century Empire commode with the loveliest marquetry inlay. It was my gateway drug into collecting French antiques!
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Billy Baldwin, without a doubt.
No room is complete without great lighting and art that sparks a conversation.
People think of me as reserved, but I am really quite funny and self-depricating!
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Baby’s breath or any kind of filler
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Olives
A bar cabinet: Unattractive bottles
A song for:
Dinner at home: “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
Working at your desk: “One More Hour” by Tame Impala
Going for a run: “The Magnificent Seven” by The Clash, but who are we kidding? I don’t run unless something is very wrong!
Biggest Vice? Bravo Television
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? Probably dresses, fancy shoes, and other impractical clothes for our current reality.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, I am drawn to classic lines, a carefully selected bit of color or pattern, and generally lean more feminine in both my wardrobe and design sensibility.
Who is your star crush? Patrick Dempsey
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Tons and tons of pattern upon pattern.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? Billy Baldwin Decorates
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? For the ability to work in a variety of styles, all executed through my lens and also for doing what I can to promote and lift others up in our industry.
photo by Brittany Ambridge
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Auntie Mame, Marie Antoinette, and The Talented Mr. Ripley
Book: Most recently, The Chiffon Trenches by André Leon Talley
Scent: Rose de Grasse by Aerin Lauder
The fabric you always come back to: a sumptuous velvet—silk, cotton, mohair—I love them all!
Dream project: A David Adler house in Lake Forest, Illinois
Meal: Escargots with Crusty Bread, Steak Frites, a beautiful bottle of wine, and Berthillon Ice Cream for Dessert.
Drink: Spicy Casamigos Margarita
Hotel: Round Hill in Jamaica and Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley
Travel Destination: Paris
Artist: Cy Twombly
Thing to collect obsessively: I can’t stop buying art, also design books.
Era in the history of design: France in the 18th century or during the 1930s and 1940s
Museum: The Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London
Paint Color that always looks great: Benjamin Moore White Dove
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: My design friends
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs all the way, specifically my darling twelve year old Cockapoo, Tate
